Binder for high piled fabrics



May 23, 1967 y M. TEVYAW 3,320,910

BINDER FOR HIGH FILED FABRICS Filed Jan. '7, 1965 w y ummm MT wl! FIG. es 20 22 y ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,320,910 BINDER FOR HIGH PILED FABRICS Morley Tevyaw, West Orange, NJ., assignor to N-C Carpet Binding & Equipment Corp., Newark, NJ., a corporation f New Jersey y Filed Jan. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 423,977 Claims. (Cl. 112-138) This invention relates generally to binding with a high pile fabric, and specifically to tape-binding the edge of a carpet by sewing both the top and the bottom of the tape simultaneously to the carpet.

It is an object of this invention to apply a binding to the edge of a high-pile carpet in a single step.

It is a further object of the invention to utilize a bobbinless sewing machine to attach a tape binding to a highpile carpet by a zig-zag stitch.

It is a further object of the invention to apply a binding to the edge of a carpet in a firm and durable manner so that it will resist detachment during conditions of strenuous usage.

It is another object of the invention to apply an edge binding to carpet in a rapid, single step procedure, thereby to effect great economy of labor and time.

It is among the further objects of the invention to apply an edge binding to a carpet in a compact, neat and attractive manner that will not detract from the pleasing appearance of the carpet since the tape binding is relatively unobtrusive.

It is a still further object of this invention to avoid the use of sewing procedures which rupture the carpet filaments in applying an edge binding, such being the case where blind stitch sewing machines employing curved needles are used.

It is yet another object of the invention to avoid down* time frequently occurring in tape-binding high-pile carpets due to incessant breakage of needles and threads, and the necessity for constant changing of bobbins whose utility is limited to the color of the yardage being bound by tape.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a means'to handle deep pile carpets and similar high-pile fabrics compressing them at the point where the stitches are applied whereby the bobbinless sewing machine with its straight needle can be used for sewing the binding to the deep pile carpet in a single step.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pile deector which will position the pile of carpet so as to be readily penetrable for stitches. 4

These objects and advantages as well as other objects and advantages may be attained by the device shown in the drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of a binder in position on a bobbinless, zig-zag sewing machine;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the binder;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the binder;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4-4 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 in FIGURE l;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of the edge of the tape-bound fabric.

Bindings applied to carpets have in the past required the performance of two steps, each involving the passing of the carpet through a sewing machine. Attempts to perform both steps in a single operation have not been universally successful, particularly where high pile carpets are involved, for there has been continuous and incessant breakage of needles and thread due to the frictional con- 3,320,910 Patented May 23, 1967 ice tact of both with the carpet structure itself. It has been found possible to apply the binding in two steps through the use of a blind stitch sewing machine, but certain disadvantages have arisen. First, it has been necessary to perform the binding in two steps, passing the carpet through the sewing machine twice. Second, the curved needle, in passing through the pile and carpet backing necessarily penetrates a longer course through the carpet structure than a straight needle encounters in moving from top to bottom. This is because of the arcuate form of the needle.

The thread which it carries likewise traverses a longer path. The frictional encounter of the needle and the thread with the carpet structure, being of greater extent, exerts a much greater stress upon both needle and thread, resulting in much more frequent breakage of both. In addition, the arcuate encounter of the curved needle with the laments of the carpet accompanied by compression of the carpet structure, has resulted in excessive strains upon the individual filaments of the carpet. Examination of carpets bound in this manner discloses that the use of such blind stitch sewing machines with curved needles results in rupture of some carpet filaments. While this rupturing may not have any immediate effect upon the life of the carpet, it ultimately contributes largely to deterioration and shortening of the life of the carpet.

It has been found that a bobbinless sewing machine, which uses a straight needle as opposed to the blind stitch sewing machine, can be used to apply an edge binding to the edge of a carpet in a single operation if the relative density and thickness of the carpet structure is carefully controlled at the point of application of the stitches which aflix the binding. This is accomplished by the tape folder, pile defiector hereinafter set forth by way of illustration of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a needle 11 of a bobbinless Zig-zag sewing machine is shown in FIG- URE l, disposed in cooperative relation to the binder 12. The binder 12 is mounted upon table 13 `of the bobbinless, zig-zag sewing machine. A high pile fabric 14 is placed upon the support 15 and manually moved along the guide wall 16 toward the needle 11. The unbound edge 17 of the fabric is moved against the guide wall 16. A pile deflector bar 18 extends outwardly across the path of movement of the high pile fabric 14, extending also in an upward direction. The defiector or interceptor 18 causes the pile 19 to deflect or bend away from the edge 17 thereby making it more adapted to receive a folded tape 2O that may embrace the edge 17 as shown in FIGURE 6. The deiiecting or bending of the pile 19 also tends to make the pile 19 more penetrable to the needle 11.

A tape feed slot 21 discharges a folded tape 20. During feeding, the tape has moved toward the slot 21 in a direction perpendicular to and intersecting with a line defined by the direction of movement of the fabric 14. However, when the tape 20 leaves the slot 21, it changes direction and'moves in the same direction as the fabric 19, by reason of attachment thereto and frictional engagement at first. As it moves toward the needle 11 after it leaves the slot 21, it traverses a concave guide channel 22, at the end of the guide wall 16. A needle guide 23 is located beyond the end of the guide wall 16. It has a concave guide-channel 24 matching in vertical plan with the guide channel 22. The channels 22, 24 taper toward the position of the needle 11, and fold the tape 20 more closely about the fabric as well as tending to dispose the pile more flatly at the point where the zig zag stitches 34 are applied. As shown in FIGURE l, the top of the concavity 24 on the needle guide 23 extends in an upward `and outward direction. The needle 11, of

the zig-zag sewing machine makes two different passes at the fabric to form the zig-zag stitch and is accommodated in the elongated slot 25. It is particularly noted that the bottom edge of the tape 20 (see FIGURE 6) is folded around the edge 1'7 and under the fabric 14. The tape edge 26 is folded under the tape 20, so that a double thickness of tape 20 is applied to the top of the fabric 20; at this point, the pile 19 is compressed or attened. When the zig-Zag stitch 24 is applied, the pile 19 already deflected and nearly attened before, is now completely compressed and flat beneath the sewn tape 20. (See FIG. 7.) Particular note is further made that the needle 11 in one pass, goes through both the double thickness tape 20 on top of the fabric 11, and also through the single layer of tape 20 disposed on the bottom of the fabric 11. Thus, there is no necessity to run the fabric 14 through the sewing machine twice (first to attach one edge of the tape to the bottom of the fabric 14 and second the other edge of the tape to the top of the fabric). The present binder 12 attaches both edges of the tape 14 in one single operation. At the end of the needle guide 23, an enlargement or discharge guide 27 positions the fabric 14 for engagement with the puller 28 which draws the fabric 14 through the sewing machine.

A pre-fold is applied to the tape 20. This is accomplished by the folder 29. The zig-zag Wire 30 receives the tape 20 in interlaced relation, and guides it into the hollow tube 31. The tube 31 at the start is slightly convex and high enough to receive the tape 20 unfolded (see FIG. 4). The convexity increases toward the discharge end of the tube 31 and the height of the tube 31 decreases until it is less than the height of the tape 14. The top of the tube 31 is widened and folded over and a separator 32 is attached in the hollow tube 31 to define a downwardly folded portion of the hollow interior -of the tube 31. The tape 14, upon reaching this portion (see FIG- URE 5) is folded over at its top edge 26. When the tape reaches the tape feed slot 21, where it is discharged from the tube 29, and changes its direction of flow by 90, the convexly folded tape 14 shown in FIGURE 5 now moves over the concave guide channels 22, 24 and assumes a concave embracing relation to the fabric 14 (as shown in FIGURE 6) with the edge 26 folded under the main body of the tape 20. A neatly bound edge is applied in one, single sewing operation.

While I have referred generally to high-pile fabrics, the outstanding application is in binding high pile carpets.

The foregoing description represents an illustrative embodiment of the invention; many changes may be made in :he construction, selection and arrangement of the parts within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed:

1. A binder for high-pile fabrics comprising:

(a) a generally horizontal fabric support,

(b) a generally verticalguide-wall for fabric above the support,

(c) a tape folder,

(d) said tape folder having a tape-feed slot intersecting with the guide wall,

(e) a pile deliector bar on the guide-wall forwardly of said slot extending upwardly and outwardly from the guide-wall at the feed slot at a distance above the fabric support suflcient to deflect outwardly away from the guide-wall the high-pile of `fabric passing under the deflector with the fabric edge against the guide wall,

(f) said guide wall having a concavity rearwardly of the feed slot for tape emerging from said feed slot,

(g) a needle-guide adjacent to the concavity,

(h) said needle guide having a concavity matching in vertical plan and being aligned with the concavity on said guide wall, and

(i) the concavity on the needle guide extending in an upward and outward direction at the top.

2. A binder for high-pile fabric comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) the tape feed slot being lesser in height than the tape,

(e) a separator at the top of the tape feed slot to accommodate a folded over portion of the tape.

3. A binder for high-pile fabric comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) a discharge guide on the end of the needle guide extending from the needle-guide concavity.

4. The method of binding high pile fabrics on a bobbin-V less, zig-zag sewing machine comprising:

(a) guiding a high pile fabric along a vertical wall toward a sewing station,

(b) deflecting the top of the pile of the fabric away from the vertical wall in an outward direction by a dellector,

(c) further guiding the high pile fabric against a concave surface of the vertical wall,

(d) introducing a tape having a folded under top edge through the vertical wall and over the concave surface of the vertical wall, whereby the tape assumes an arcuate position and embraces the edge, the top, and the bottom of the high pile fabric and the deilected top of the pile before the pile resiliently assumes its vertical position,

(e) guiding the high pile fabric with the folded top edge tape along an arcuate needle guide,

(f) further deflecting the top of the pile of the fabric, with the folded top edge tape, away from the Wall by intruding the pile against the arcuate needle guide at the top thereof, whereby the marginal high pile is deflected sufficiently to permit the easy passage of a sewing needle through the fabric,

(g) sewing in one operation through the folded edge of the tape, the deflected pile of the fabric, the fabric, and the bottom edge of the tape.

5. A binder for high pile fabrics comprising:

(a) the apparatus according to claim 1, and

(b) said apparatus in combination with a bobbinless,

zig-Zag sewing machine.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,411,344 4/1922 Grim 112-235 2,125,652 8/1938 Seaman 1l2-l37X 2,452,419 10/1948 Ackerman 112-138 3,221,685 12/1965 Greenberg 112-138 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. H. H. HUNTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BINDER FOR HIGH-PILE FABRICS COMPRISING: (A) A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL FABRIC SUPPORT, (B) A GENERALLY VERTICAL GUIDE-WALL FOR FABRIC ABOVE THE SUPPORT, (C) A TAPE FOLDER, (D) SAID TAPE FOLDER HAVING A TAPE-FEED SLOT INTERSECTING WITH THE GUIDE WALL, (E) A PILE DEFLECTOR BAR ON THE GUIDE-WALL FORWARDLY OF SAID SLOT EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM THE GUIDE-WALL AT THE FEED SLOT AT A DISTANCE ABOVE THE FABRIC SUPPORT SUFFICIENT TO DEFLECT OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM THE GUIDE-WALL THE HIGH-PILE OF FABRIC PASSING UNDER THE DEFLECTOR WITH THE FABRIC EDGE AGAINST THE GUIDE WALL, (F) SAID GUIDE WALL HAVING A CONCAVITY REARWARDLY OF THE FEED SLOT FOR TAPE EMERGING FROM SAID FEED SLOT, (G) A NEEDLE-GUIDE ADJACENT TO THE CONCAVITY, (H) SAID NEEDLE GUIDE HAVING A CONCAVITY MATCHING IN VERTICAL PLAN AND BEING ALIGNED WITH THE CONCAVITY ON SAID GUIDE WALL, AND (I) THE CONCAVITY ON THE NEEDLE GUIDE EXTENDING IN AN UPWARD AND OUTWARD DIRECTION AT THE TOP. 